Wednesday, June 25, 2014

Zion seen here at age one didn’t have a chance to escape the beauty of gardening. He observed his gardening fanatic Mom in action and wanted to do exactly what she was doing. Although, the watering can was bigger than he was, he would still attempt to water the vegetable/flower garden. He had inherited his Mother’s love of gardening…

Lil Ian pictured here at about 1 year old also has a love of watering the flowers…

Although we have a vegetable garden, I decided to make them their own vegetable garden; one they could readily water and would be easy for them to maintain, you know, since they are already such gardening fanatics! One day, I was in the shed and saw this crate and I thought voila! It had the perfect depth and it wasn’t too big.

After removing the top

I used left over paint from the guest bedroom makeover to paint the crate and sealed it with a mod podge sealant.

And there is the after!

I planted basil, chives, bell peppers, and tomatoes. There isn’t much but this is just enough for them to be able to maintain. I can’t wait to see their excitement when the tomatoes start to bloom! What’s going on in your garden? xx

Saturday, June 21, 2014

It’s officially Summer and I am ecstatic! I am feeling lots better too, thanks for the well wishes! Summer which is undoubtedly my favorite time of year has so many meanings for me. Summer usually means dining alfresco, planting a garden, eating more fruits and vegetables, going to the beach, reading ones favorite books, entertaining more often, paring down ones décor and going clutter free, getting married/going to lots of weddings(since the weather is so perfect). Really, I could go on and on. Here are some gorgeous images that reek of Summer. Enjoy!

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

I recently had to reluctantly embrace the sedentary lifestyle and I have somewhat been banished to my bedroom, well mostly my bed. Although I am not happy about not being able to freely roam and rearrange and lift as I please, this slow pace and rest is exactly what I need. Being stuck in bed for hours led me to thinking about what I would enjoy looking at being stuck in a recovery space for a period of time(much like I am now). Plants immediately came to mind, hence the title of today's post. Unfortunately, my bedroom isn’t smothered in plant delight, but I do have a succulent in there. Here are some plant infused spaces I’m loving…

Plants are well known for their air purification qualities and I posted about their feng shui implications here last year. For my living spaces, I gravitate towards sculptural plants like the mother in law tongue, the fiddle fig, the zzz plant, the bonsai. and of course succulents. However, on my screened in porch, I have a variety of plants. What’s your take on plant infused spaces? xx

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Hi everyone! It’s been awhile since my last post, but, I am sure by now, you know that the hubby is home. In fact, he returned home the same day of my last post.

“Be present in all things and thankful for all things.”~Maya AngelouThe above quote by the late and amazingly wise Maya Angelou, sums up my current state of mind and being, and I am enjoying being in this state. With that said, though I haven’t been blogging, I’ve been quite the chatterbox on Instagram! I’ve posted different stages showing the growth of my fiddle fig which has amassed a number of admirers on there. Admirers who want to know what the heck I’m feeding this monster of a tree! So, I’m sharing how I care for my fiddle fig today. I invited Lea of Lea HartmanPhotography to come by to capture it all for you! As usual, she did a fabulous job! Well, I believe the location/placement of your fiddle fig is probably the most important. In my case, our fiddle fig is in the sunroom.

The sunroom is East facing so the fiddle fig gets perfect natural light; morning sun and afternoon shade.

Keeping your fiddle fig hydrated is very important. It loves getting watered. I can usually tell that mine needs water if the leaves look a bit shriveled and dry.
Fiddle leaf figs are tropical loving plants and are accustomed to high humidity, consistent temperatures and well-draining, peaty soil. When the plants receive too little water, new foliage browns and eventually falls off. Conversely, when plants are over-watered -- or heavy soil becomes waterlogged -- damage begins at the base of the plant and the oldest leaves turn brown and drop. Allow over-watered figs to dry thoroughly. Fiddle leaf figs should be allowed to dry out between waterings and then watered deeply until water runs out the bottom of the container.

Also, I’ve recently rotated it as I noticed that the leaves tend to lean toward the light, and as a result it was growing in that leaning sort of way. Rotating it helps it maintain a rounded shape.

pic shows new growth/leaf

I have repotted it at least once, and I know I will have to repot it again in a much bigger container to ensure enough room for its root system. Pruning it might have to occur too because at the rate at which it is growing, I am not sure if it will fit in that spot (unless pruned) for much longer…

And that’s basically how I care for my fiddle fig. If you have a Home Depot in your area, they may have them there. That’s where I purchased mine. Now, you might be wondering about the sunroom, well, it’s left mostly undecorated as it is the boys’ stomping ground; well the entire house is.

We aren’t a formal household, but one could say that this is our informal space. I removed the coffee table and freed up the space in the middle. Better for the boys too.

This mushroom stool was in Ian’s nursery, but I stole it and it’s perfect for resting things aka magazines on.

I enjoy sitting in this chair! In fact, I am usually fighting the boys off of it because they love it too! Happy Sunday everyone. xx